The Los Angeles Lakers have now lost three straight games and their latest one might be their worst all season as they were blown out by the Sacramento Kings on the road.
The difference in the game was at the 3-point line as the Lakers made just 6-of-33 attempts (18%) compared to 17-of-26 (65%) for the Kings. They came in as two of the worst shooting teams in the league, but the Kings looked anything but compared to the Lakers.
After the loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick discussed the team’s poor shooting and how much it impacted the game, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We can’t make a shot. If you look at it, first of all, [the Kings] are right there with us as far as being the worst shooting teams in the league. That was tied with Houston for the highest anyone has shot all season, so that’s typical. We were 28th before tonight in opponent 3-point percentage and we’ll be 29th or 30th after tonight. We had 50 potential assists tonight, we converted on 21 of those. Expected score we won by 24. This has been the theme. It’s been a theme. Just keep shooting, I guess.”
Redick added that he liked the looks the Lakers were getting but as has been the case a lot this season, they couldn’t convert:
“If you have a wide open shot, you have to take a wide open shot. Yup.”
Not only do the Lakers struggle to make 3s, but they also struggle to defend them. So even though the Kings don’t usually shoot it well, Redick wasn’t surprised by their hot shooting night:
“The 3-point percentage, that’s typical. Look, I think it’s the last seven going into tonight, we’ve been one of the top defenses in the league. So we’re doing some things, we just faced a hot shooting team tonight.”
The Lakers’ hot start to the season now feels like ages ago as they have lost three straight and seven of their last 11. Redick and the coaching staff are gonna have to figure out a way to get this team to compete despite all of their injuries and roster deficiencies, which has been a challenge in recent weeks.
It would help if players could make open shots, but other things like effort seem to need to be addressed as well.
JJ Redick undecided on Lakers starting lineup when Rui Hachimura returns
The Lakers will get Rui Hachimura back in the lineup on Tuesday, which should help with their 3-point shooting as he has been one of the best in the league so far this season. Hachimura hasn’t been a great fit with the starting lineup, however, and Redick is undecided on what his first group will look like once everyone is healthy.
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